Chapter 4: The Man Behind the Scar

When police jam Musa Garba, him dey work for photo studio for him hometown, Eziokwu town.

The town dey quiet, but as police reach, word spread. "Police don come for Musa!" People dey gather, dey point.

As he see us, e no shock am at all, he cooperate well.

Musa sit down for bench, look us for eye. No fear, no wahala. E just dey like person wey go market.

Interrogation go smooth. He confess everything, talk am with calm voice like person wey dey gist for buka after church. Even Tunde surprise. He no try hide anything. Na so he dey talk calmly, no shake.

Time, method, weapon—everything match evidence. But the mystery come worse.

We dey look each other—how person go dey confess with cool mind, dey give every detail, like person wey dey gist for beer parlour?

Killer motive no clear.

Oga dey beat table, dey shout: "You dey craze? Wetin dem do you? Wetin dem take your family do?"

No matter how we ask am, Musa Garba just dey repeat: “No reason. I just wan kill.”

Tunde dey shake head, write note. The thing dey strange. Na so he dey repeat, no change mouth.

E sound like person wey no get sense.

Even our DPO enter, ask, "Musa, you dey mad? You dey do jazz?"

“Three people die bad like that, but you dey run, you still save one innocent girl, risk make dem catch you? Musa, this your way no be how real psycho dey behave.”

Everybody for room dey nod. Person wey dey mad for killing no go dey careful, no go save person, still arrange scene clean.

Musa keep quiet.

E just dey look ground. Sometimes e go sigh, sometimes e go smile small, but e no talk more.

We think say maybe he get partner. Musa deny am. “CCTV just cover street. If you pass gutter, wear wig, change cloth, you go dodge CCTV.”

The way he talk am, you go think say na simple thing. Me, I dey wonder if na practice or na gift.

All him record dey table: 30 years, no criminal record, from Eziokwu town, about 200km from Makurdi.

Old neighbours dey vouch say the boy quiet, dey help old people sweep compound. The kind coldness for his confession shock everybody.

2005, him junior sister drown by mistake. After WAEC, family move go Kaduna, stay ten years. 2015, him papa and mama die, he come back Eziokwu, dey do photographer.

His life story dry—no wahala, no cult, no nothing. Some people even say he dey lead choir for church before.

One month ago, he enter Makurdi, dodge all CCTV, kill Okafor family.

E say e plan am for two weeks, arrange everything. But still, no reason.

He arrange the crime scene well, no trace, show say he no wan make dem catch am. But how he take save person still dey confuse us. Maybe Halima get something special.

I dey reason am—maybe na juju, maybe na old love. E get as e be.

Recent years, Musa no get close female friend. My eye land for the name Maryam Garba.

The name ring bell for my ear. Na so I open file, dey search.

Tunde check Maryam Garba record. Halima look different from Maryam, but their voice resemble.

Tunde dey nod, say, "Voice fit pass for sibling."

Na so. For darkness, Musa hear familiar voice, decide to save her.

Na there my mind stand. Blood thicker than water. Even for darkness, family voice dey move person.

“Quick, check how Maryam take die.”

I call my guy for Eziokwu station, "Abeg, help me dig Maryam Garba file, quick-quick."